Friday, August 08, 2008

it's not politics, it's all about the sport...

china would like everyone to believe that as the world watches the bejing games that it is a modern, united, and happy country.

in reality bejing is a police state where every single person entering the city of 16 million is individually checked, whether they arrive by land, rail, or air.

the IOC has taken china at its word, but in reality the olympic games have made china's human rights position worse, with activists arrested and detained, police monitoring outlying areas where reporters might venture, and the situation in tibet prevented from being broadcast to the outside world.

the world's press arrived in bejing to find internet sites blocked, apparently with the IOC's knowledge and approval.

as for the air pollution, nothing to worry about according to china and the IOC.that's a different perspective than everyone else's, including the american mountain biker that took part in an international competition last year near bejing. he reported that out of 46 contestants, only 8 managed to finish the course. he along with the world champion failed to finish what he described as a "fairly easy course".

and for anyone wishing to protest at the olympics:

Liu Shaowu, director of security for the Games, said that Chinese law allowed protests "as long as applications were made and approved in advance", a condition almost never met in the country.

"How to get approval for protests and what requirements are needed for people to participate in the protests will be explained to every applicant in the process of application," he said. "Normally we will ask people to go to the approved places for their demonstrations."

a happy, modern, and united china?only the bits that the chinese communist party wants the world to see.